We have become slaves to the cities we build and to the cars we drive. It is the soil from which humanity came, the earth which each year displays the miracle of creation!
As Spring re-awakens all that is green, let us re-awaken our ties to the natural world and our bonds to the earth. We dip greens into salt water and acknowledge through our blessing that we are partners in the work of Creation.
Green vegetables represent the coming of Spring and the renewal of life. Many families use parsley for its rich green color. We dip vegetables in salt water, recite the blessing, then eat.
Baruch ata Adonai Elohaynoo melech ha-olam, boray pree ha- adamah.
Praised are You, Lord, our God, Whose presence fills the universe, Who creates the fruit of the earth.
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At the center of the table, there is a plate with three matzahs. Take the middle matzah and break it in two. The larger piece is wrapped in a napkin, and hidden. The smaller piece is replaced between the other two on the Matzah plate. The hidden matzah is called the "afikoman"
or dessert. It is a tradition that children search for this hidden matzah, and finding it, ransom it back at Seder’s end. The Seder cannot end without this Afikoman, and so kids have been known to demand anything from a few candies to a new bike or a college education.
